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Former Palestinian Authority official Nasser Al-Kidwa will follow up his work as Deputy for Kofi Annan, who is leaving his role in peace facilitation for the Syrian crisis at the end of this month, by serving as Deputy to the new Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, a UN spokesman said today.

Mr. Al-Kidwa will begin working with new Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi when he takes up his position following the expiration of Mr. Annan's mandate on 31 August 2012.

"Mr. Al-Kidwa brings to the position his extensive diplomatic experience and deep knowledge of the region, in addition to his recent involvement in UN peacemaking efforts on Syria as Deputy to the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan," the spokesperson said in New York.

He added that both Secretary-General Ban, and his counterpart at the League of Arab States, Nabil El Araby, were pleased to make the announcement of the appointment.

In his prior career, Mr. Al-Kidwa served in various functions with the Palestinian National Authority, including as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2006, and Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations from 1991 to 2005.

Former UN Secretary-General Annan was appointed Joint Special Envoy for the crisis in Syria in late February to provide good offices on behalf of the UN and Arab League, with the aim of bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations in Syria, and promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Syria has been wracked by violence, with more than 17,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago. Over recent days, there have been reports of an escalation in violence in many towns and villages, as well as the country's two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.